Supplements

Vitamins

Vitamins play a critical role in nutrition, by providing catalysts for many of the body's reactions.
The human body requires vitamins to do many things, such as ward off disease, boost immune system response, and even improve overall moods.
Vitamins are organic molecules that function in a wide variety of capacities within the body.
Vitamins act as powerful preventative measures against disease and the aging process, not to mention their critical function for healthy living.
Vitamins can help prevent disease in two main ways: By preventing the deficiency syndromes characteristic of the respective vitamin, and through the health benefits conferred by that specific vitamin.
In general, a good daily multivitamin/mineral supplement improves your overall bodily functioning and boosts both your physical and mental health and well-being.
The American Medical Association strongly recommends everybody take a basic daily multivitamin.

Proteins

Proteins are necklaces of amino acids --- long chain molecules. Proteins are the basis of how biology gets things done. As enzymes, they are the driving force behind all of the biochemical reactions which make biology work. As structural elements, they are the main constituent of our bones, muscles, hair, skin and blood vessels. As antibodies, they recognize invading elements and allow the immune system to get rid of the unwanted invaders.
Some types of amino acids are made by you, right inside your body, without you ever thinking about it or doing anything special. These are called nonessential amino acids, and there are 11 of them. And they are necessary - meaning you need them to keep your body in tip-top shape - but they are not essential as part of the food you eat. The essential amino acids - all nine of them - must come from food. That's where eating foods with protein comes in, to give your body the amino acids it needs.
When you take protein-supplements they are broken down into separate amino acids in your digestive tract. Enzymes are nothing more than specialized proteins. They, too, are digested into separate amino acids before being absorbed into the bloodstream. So called living enzyme-supplements are not alive after they go through the strong acid of the stomach.
Protein is required to build muscle, without a good, steady supply of protein your muscles will not grow. Excellent food sources of protein include fish, poultry, milk and eggs. Protein Powders, usually mixed with milk or water, offer a nutritional shake / drink that is high in protein and relatively low in fat and carbohydrate.

Dietary Supplements

Traditionally, dietary supplements referred to products made of one or more of the essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and protein

Dietary supplements come in many forms, including tablets, capsules, powders, softgels, gelcaps, and liquids. One thing dietary supplements are not is drugs. Another thing dietary supplements are not are replacements for conventional diets, nutritionists say. Dietary supplements do not provide all the known nutritional benefits of conventional food. Thousands of dietary supplements are on the market. Many contain vitamins and minerals to supplement the amounts of these nutrients we get from the foods we eat. There are also many products on the market that contain other substances like high-potency free amino acids, botanicals, enzymes, herbs, animal extracts, and bioflavanoids.

There are many different herbal and botanical supplementary products on the market. They range from ground up herbs you probably have never heard of such as the Kava Kava root, to well known and widely used such as ginseng and garlic. Herbs that contain extracts or active ingredients from the roots, berries, seeds, stems, leaves, buds or flowers of plants. It is a common misconception that supplementary products made from plants are safe because they are natural or organic.